Vedanta BALCO Restores Check Dam to Promote Sustainable Water Management in Rural India
Balconagar; 23rd March 2023: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), India’s iconic aluminium producer and a subsidiary of Vedanta Aluminium, has taken a significant step towards promoting sustainable water management practices in the rural areas surrounding its operations. In a recent initiative, BALCO employees and community members came together to restore a check dam in Dondro village, located near the company’s operational vicinity.
The check dam, built by BALCO in 2016, had accumulated a substantial amount of silt over time, reducing its water holding capacity. More than 50 employees and community members participated in the restoration process, removing the silt from the catchment area of the dam. The restoration of the dam’s water holding capacity will benefit more than 100 farmers, enabling them to secure water for the second and third cropping season, and also help in recharging adjacent water structures.
The check dam, with a whopping storage capacity of around 60 lakh liters, is the first of many such structures that BALCO plans to restore in the coming months. This initiative will help farmers in the region to produce better crop yields and boost their income, by ensuring a reliable water supply for irrigation during the summer months.
BALCO has already created over 150 water structures in the region, which have benefited around 20 neighboring villages by enabling the farmers to harvest more than one crop in a year. These structures have also contributed to increasing soil moisture content and maintaining groundwater levels, thereby positively impacting the agricultural ecosystem in the region.
In addition to the restoration of the check dam, BALCO has been celebrating Water Week on the occasion of World Water Day, by organizing a series of initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable water management practices. These include the ‘Water Leakage Spotting Superhero’ campaign, BALCO Talks on water management, and competitions such as slogan writing and poster making. These events have generated awareness among employees and the local community about the importance of conserving water resources and adopting sustainable practices in their daily lives. BALCO remains committed to promoting water conservation and management practices in the regions where it operates.
Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) is India’s iconic aluminium producer. It is owned 49% by the Government of India and 51% by Vedanta Limited. BALCO is part of Vedanta’s Aluminium Business, a division of Vedanta Limited, which is India’s largest manufacturer of aluminium. BALCO operates a 0.57 million tonne per annum aluminium smelter in Korba, Chhattisgarh. It is also a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class smelter and power plants, the company fulfills its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
About Vedanta Limited
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa, Namibia, and Australia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. Under the aegis of Vedanta Cares, the flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Vedanta and its group companies have been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2020, and were conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020, CII Environmental Best Practices Award 2020, CSR Health Impact Award 2020, CII National Award 2020 for Excellence in Water Management, CII Digital Transformation Award 2020, ICSI National Award 2020 for excellence in Corporate Governance, People First HR Excellence Award 2020, ‘Company with Great Managers 2020’ by People Business and certified as a Great Place to Work 2021. Vedanta’s flagship Nand Ghar Project was identified as best CSR project by the Government of Rajasthan. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange in India and has ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
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